Follow the Star: Trust
Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)
The birth of Jesus is so very significant to Christians in that it was the incarnation of God Himself. John 1:14 tells us that very fact. “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” During Christmas we celebrate when Jesus came into the world. In fact Advent is the season observed by Christians. It’s that time of expectancy as we light a candle for each week leading up to the birth of Jesus. Beginning with hope, then peace, then joy, then love.
Sadly during this time, many other stories are taking the place of the birth of Jesus. Debates, terrorism, star wars, celebrities, the economy, interest rates, the stock market, football, and all the other stuff floating around the Internet. We are all captivated by the Internet.
Even Haylie is like, “WOW! Mawmaw! Check this out!”
But the best story of all is the story of Jesus because it connects with us as no other story can. Not even the ones just mentioned. God wanted to save us through Jesus and He wanted to touch us up close. The story of Jesus’ birth will carry us through the years of our life.
Then there’s poor Joseph who finds himself in a situation he never asked to be in. Joseph and Mary were betrothed. Joseph finds out Mary is pregnant. So how does he respond? Not unlike most men of today—not!
First he’s righteous. He seeks to do the right thing. He doesn’t want to shame Mary. He can marry her, divorce her, or be vengeful. Of course he’s hurt, but his pattern throughout his life is to always please God. The very fact that any of us want to please God, pleases God. Joseph chooses to quietly divorce Mary, but stays open to God’s will and decides to sleep on it. As he sleeps, an Angel appears to him and tells him not to be afraid to marry Mary. When Joseph awakes he knows in his heart that God is in this with him. Ultimately Joseph obeys God and marries Mary. He takes the baby as his son and names him “Jesus” as God instructed him.
How do we trust when life takes an unexpected turn? Do we take the easy way out? Or do God’s will and obey Him? That’s a hard one for sure. It’s that control thing that comes into play. I know it is for me. Being in control is powerful. Euphoric almost. It takes a lot of faith to simply turn everything over to God—especially when we’re in the heat of the moment. I do find it difficult to just let go. It’s a terrible character flaw on my part. So I work hard to step back and ask God for his guidance. That’s why I admire Joseph so much.
Today’s headlines tend to overshadow the birth of Jesus. I know Haylie can get caught up in the news.
She doesn’t even notice the reindeer standing right behind her!
But regardless of the headlines, the story of Jesus will always be the best story.
I think Joseph was a hero. Surrounded by obstacles, he looked to God for answers and not himself. Joseph is in the background of the story doing what’s right in a situation no one would ever want to be in.
Follow the star…trust in God…know that this is Christ the King.
And that’s what I learned in Church……see ya next time!
